Entries tagged with: Ra Ra Riot

As posted earlier today, Franz Nicolay & Major General will be opening for the Pogues at Roseland Ballroom on March 13th, but that is just one of many shows the Hold Steady's moustached member has coming up. Another one is tonight, March 5th...

Franz is doing the same thing at the Delancey with a different bill on March 12th too, and he's doing a reading at Bar Matchless on March 14th. He'll have a busy few days which almost immediately then turns into a Hold Steady trip to SXSW that starts with a pitstop in Portland for a March 16th show at the Crystal Ballroom.

NY Dolls also have an official SXSW show, and Sylvain Sylvain is sitting on a SXSW panel called "The Sound and the Fury". This all in addition to a new record coming out...

After working together on the New York Dolls' influential debut in 1973, the group reunited this winter with producer Todd Rundgren to record their fourth studio album, Cause I Sez So, set for a May 5 release on Atco Records.

Recorded at Utopia Sound Studio in Kauai, Hawaii, the album features 11 original compositions and a new version of "Trash," which was on their 1973 debut album. "It was amazing working with Todd again, and I think we were able to evoke the special sound of our first album and drag it by the hair into the present," says frontman Johansen.

Prior to the album's release, the New York Dolls-David Johansen (vocals); Sylvain Sylvain (guitar); Steve Conte (guitar); Brian Delaney (drums); and Sami Yaffa (bass)-will appear at the South By Southwest (SXSW) music conference and festival in Austin, TX. [as outlined above]

As people have pointed out, A Place To Bury Strangers, Ra Ra Riot, Marnie Stern, and Apache Beat are sharing a bill at NYU's Kimmel Center (60 Washinton Square South) on March 5th...

CHILL 2009: Advance NYU Tickets on Sale Now! $10 NYU/$16 Public Doors: 7:30pm ++++++ 100% of Proceeds go to Charity+++++++ The Chill Concert is our annual fundraisiner concert to benefit the Chill Foundation, a charity organized by Burton; one of the snowboarding industry's largest players. The Chill Foundation seeks out at-risk, inner-city youths, and periodically gets them out of the city and to the mountain over the course of the winter.

Friends, Austinites, countrymen, lend us your ears: THE BLACK ANGELS and LIVE MUSIC CAPITOL present PSYCH FEST 2 Friday March 13th through Sunday March 15th, in Austin, Texas, spiritual birthplace and global epicenter of psychedelia. What better way to honor the cradle of consciousness than a festival of hallucinogenic sights and sounds celebrating the town's musical heritage and spotlighting the best new vanguards of the most mind-bending music ever played? Your three-day key to the doors of perception is a scant $45 (or one day doses for $15 ) available online on www.livemusiccapitol.com and Austin record stores beginning Friday the 13th, 2.13.09. With a lineup featuring such acclaimed acts as Austin's own THE BLACK ANGELS, joined by A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, DEAD MEADOW, THE WARLOCKS, Sky SunlightSaxon of legendary garage rock innovators THE SEEDS and a constellation of rising underground stars from Austin and around the world including THE WOODEN SHJIPS, INDIAN JEWELRY, THE STRANGE BOYS, THE GOLDEN ANIMALS and many more, those doors will be rocked off their hinges. This year's Fest also features Austin's psych cult heroes, THE GOLDEN DAWN performing their 1968 album 'Power Plant' from start to finish. Prepare your earthly vessel for lift-off.

Full lineup and all APTBS tour dates below.

Marnie Stern is also playing a March 10th shown in Philly which doubles as the first night of a tour leading to Austin for SXSW where she'll play the Kill Rock Stars party @ Club DeVille on March 18th (in the afternoon) with The Thermals, Thao Nguyen, Horse Feathers, The Shaky Hands, and the pAper chAse. She's also, like Yann Tiersen, on the bill of one of the ATP's in Minehead in May. All of her dates below.

Apache Beat are currently in London where they'll play a bunch of shows with School of Seven Bells before coming back for the NYU gig. They also share a bill at Santos Party House on April 11th with Violens.

Live Nation and Adam Zacks are pleased to announce this year's line up for the Sasquatch! Music Festival at the legendary Gorge in Eastern Washington. The festival, now in its eighth and most ambitious year yet, has evolved from a unique, homegrown & low key fest into a full blown three day extravaganza. A festival-goer's dream, it comes complete with camp-outs, canyons, sunsets, three stages and new this year, an expanded comedy and dance music tent. The tent will feature performances from comedians throughout the day, and then come dusk, will spotlight electronic and dance music artists.

Already the official opener to summer for music fans, the Sasquatch! Music Festival is becoming a certified monster of a musical event: this year features another exciting and diverse line-up for the musically adventurous, and ups the ante on an event already hailed for its independent spirit. Tickets go on sale Saturday February 28th at 10AM

Jane's Addiction, reunited once again, played a show at the Echoplex in LA last night. They announced it last week via their website and mailing list.

Today it was announced that Jane's (feat. all four original members), NIN, Kings of Leon, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erykah Badu, The Decemberists,Fleet Foxes,TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, Silversun Pickups,Bon Iver, Santigold, and many others are playing this year's Sasquatch Festival (May 23, 24, 25, 2009 @ The Gorge in Quincy, WA). Full lineup and ticket info below...

Many were disappointed when Ra Ra Riot's recently announced tour only contained one NYC date and it was not only an expensive benefit, but already sold out (sort of) (pics). Then came a second announcement. This time they added many more tour dates, mostly with Death Cab For Cutie, but still no NYC show. Today that changed. Tickets go on sale at noon for an April 4th show at Webster Hall.

Death Cab For Cutie annnounced a whole bunch of tour dates. Openers on various dates of the tour include Cold War Kids, Matt Costa, and Ra Ra Riot. The Ra Ra Riot dates are in addition to Ra Ra's previously announced dates, but still no new NYC date. No Death Cab NYC date either, though I'm sure they all have something secretly planned - maybe for the summer.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is the nation's leading sexual and reproductive health care advocate and provider. For more than 90 years, we've done more than any other organization in the United States to improve women's health and safety, prevent unintended pregnancies, and advance the right and ability of individuals and families to make informed and responsible choices.

Regina Spektor, Ra Ra Riot and The Bloodsugars made up the bill at the Planned Parenthood benefit concert that took place at Bowery Ballroom in NYC last night (1/22). There was also a raffle. To quote Tim, they "gave away a lot of high end pampering ($300 haircuts etc), 1 day of recording studio time, a vintage guitar, ipod touches, and a bunch of cds autographed by the bands and a meet n greet with Regina."

Tim also said Regina was amazing, and that many in the crowd thought so even more than him ("they kept crying out I LOVE YOU! every 2 minutes"). At the beginning of her long set, she forgot some lyrics, but "it didn't take long for the audience to sing along in unison to prompt her along." As you can see in the pictures, she had a big piano there on the Bowery Ballroom stage.

"On April 7, 2009, Merge Records will release the debut album from Seattle's Telekinesis entitled Telekinesis!. Telekinesis is the project of Michael Benjamin Lerner. Michael recorded Telekinesis! at Two Sticks Audio in Seattle with producer Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Tegan and Sara). Michael wrote and sang all of the songs and played nearly all of the instruments on the album, but tours with a full band that includes David Broecker (guitar), Jonie Broecker (bass, keyboards), and Chris Staples (guitar)."

Telekenisis have a few shows lined up for the next few months - none in NYC yet, but they will be playing Noise Pop, SXSW, and a bunch of dates with Ra Ra Riot.

Ra Ra Riot also have a bunch of shows lined up without Telekenisis. For NYC, it's just January 22nd at Bowery Ballroom which is the Planned Parenthood Benefit with Regina Spektor that sold out before it was even announced that they were also playing the show. They're also playing Noise Pop, and SXSW, and a bunch of dates with both Passion Pit and Cut Off Your Hands.

Cut Off Your Hands officially release their debut LP, You & I, via Frenchkiss Records on January 20th. Download the first single for free above. They're also playing SXSW (as are their labelmates Passion Pit).

Waits has steadfastly refused to allow the use of his songs in commercials and has joked about other artists who do. ("If Michael Jackson wants to work for Pepsi, why doesn't he just get himself a suit and an office in their headquarters and be done with it?") He has filed several lawsuits against advertisers who used his material without permission. He has been quoted as saying, "Apparently, the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad -- ideally, naked and purring on the hood of a new car," he said in a statement, referring to the Mercury Cougar. "I have adamantly and repeatedly refused this dubious honor....

...In 2005, Waits sued Adam Opel AG, claiming that, after having failed to sign him to sing in their Scandinavian commercials, they had hired a soundalike singer. In 2007, the suit was settled, and Waits gave the sum to charity." [Wikipedia]

The campaign, shot by American History X director Tony Kaye, launched November 25th and is intended to raise awareness and drive action to fight hunger in America.

Created pro bono by Ogilvy NY, the new TV, radio, print, and web advertising aims to change the way Americans look at this critical issue affecting our country and to understand the fact that many people they interact with on a daily basis may not know where their next meal will come from...

"We are thrilled to partner with Feeding America to educate Americans about just how close hunger is to each one of us," according to Peggy Conlon, President & CEO of The Advertising Council. "I believe that the 1 in 8 campaign will inspire Americans to become involved in this critical issue."

"This work uses simple visual imagery to demonstrate the reality of the fact that everyone today knows someone who is hungry," said Antonio Navas and Chris Bradley, creative directors at Ogilvy who developed the campaign. "We were very fortunate to get musician Tom Waits to contribute a beautiful piece of music - "Never Let Go" off of 2006's Orphans -- that helps bring the work to life and connect with the public in a tangible way. We believe it will have great impact on this important cause."

Per the Ad Council model, the PSAs will be distributed to media outlets nationwide this week and will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media.

Waits says of the project: "We all need to be reminded that the folks who need help getting back on their feet are all members of our family." Watch the two different PSAs below.

Other Notable Licensing News:

Another band that usually passes on licensing requests for its music is Arcade Fire. The Canadian band decided to let its song "My Body Is A Cage" be used in the trailer for the new Brad Pitt movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

According to the Arcade Fire's management, "This is the first time the band have used their music in this way. David Fincher asked them to look at the trailer. They all thought it was a good use of the music. They have no issue with licensing music when it's used in a creative way. It rarely happens." [Pitchfork]

Watch the trailer below.

The soundtrack to Juno continues to inspire advertising creatives. One of Barry Louis Polisar's songs from that soundtrack, "All I Want Is You", gives it a go in a spot for the National Lottery in the UK. The commercial can be seen below.

I've seen the commercial for Ubisoft's new Prince Of Persia game on air this past week. Just like the trailer (watch it below), the spot features the song "Saeglopur" by Sigur Ros. This is the second video game featuring Sigur Ros music - EA's trailer for Dead Space (released in October 2008) uses "Track 7" as the soundtrack.

The Shins' "Sleeping Lessons" provides a cool soundtrack to Statkraft Energy's new European commercial. Watch it at Boards Mag.

Sony has released quite a few new commercials recently for both the PS3 and PSP that have good musical soundtracks. The "Mural" spot features "Everybody Ona Move" by Michael Franti & Spearhead, "LA Plays PSP" has The Grouch featuring MURS' "The Bay To LA", and "NYC Plays PSP" uses Chromeo's "Fancy Footwork". Watch the last one below.

Having just completed an extensive North American tour supporting Weezer and currently staring down a Dec. 12-23 tour of their native Canada, the four young men of Tokyo Police Club continue to laugh in the face of road fatigue: The band has announced one more run of U.S. dates beginning February 24, 2009 in Providence RI.

In other news, Tokyo Police Club will make its return to the small screen next week, following up a recent DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES cameo with a Dec. 10 late night (or early Dec. 11 for those who feel the need to be technical) performance on the LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON.

Following the completion of the dates below, Tokyo Police Club plans to begin work on the follow up to its acclaimed debut full length Elephant Shell, which was released April 22 of this year on Saddle Creek.

The NYC show is February 25th at Webster Hall (the venue they were supposed to play before they cancelled to go on tour with Weezer). Born Ruffians are opening. Stay tuned for ticket info. All dates and openers below...

At the Woodies last week, Vampire Weekend played at the same time as Chromeo. Together they performed VW's "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance" which is also the next single VW are releasing on XL on December 9th. You can watch the Woodies now at MTVU's site. More Chromeo Weekend pictures below....

Aggressive racing game, Motorstorm, was one of the most successful titles for the Playstation 3 in 2007 (selling over three million copies world wide). It was only natural then, that Sony Computer Entertainment would get a sequel out in 2008. Enter Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. The game recently hit shelves in the US at end of October and in the UK this past week. The TV spot announcing the new game brilliantly matched Motorstorm's crazy, edgy style of racing on tracks in exotic locations with the "authentic energy" of Gogol Bordello's "Wonderlust King." Watch the video of the commercial below. Gogol Bordello tour dates are HERE.

While Gogol did not make the in-game soundrack, David Bowie, Clutch, Megadeth, The Hives, Simian Mobile Disco, Death From Above 1979, and more all made the cut. Eight of the forty-five songs are exclusive to the game including a remix by Diplo of Nirvana's "Swap Meet" *.

Speaking of exclusives, The Ramones' classic jam "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" was covered by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and singer Jemina Pearl (from the now defunct Be Your Own Pet). Their version exclusively premiered in this past week's episode of Gossip Girl. Love & Rockets made the episode too...though not as an exclusive.

Other Notable Licensing News:

On the tube, One Tree Hill had songs by Ra Ra Riot and Margot & the Nuclear So-So's; 90210 had Florence & The Machine, The Raconteurs, and The Bravery; Grey's Anatomy had The Bird And The Bee, Whitest Boy Alive, and Brett Dennon.

M83's "You, Appearing" provides a solemn background to a French commercial for Douleurs' "Pain Without Borders" commercial. Watch the video below. M83 is currently on a tour of the US (and in NYC this week).

Cadbury's new "Favourites" commercial features the song "Stars and Sons" by Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene. Watch the video below. Pics from the band's recent show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple can be seen HERE.

Ra Ra Riot and Walter Meego played their first of two NYC shows together last night (10/16). It was at Bowery Ballroom Tonight's (10/17) is at Music Hall of Williamsburg. More pictures from last night including one of RRR's setlist, below...

Leia stopped by Ra Ra Riot's free Virgin Megastore show the other today to take some pictures. The show was the same day RRR's new album came out on Barsuk and that is also the occasion that motivated them to release four pro-shot live-in-an-attic videos to the Internet. The first was debuted at Pitchfork. You may have seen the second one on Stereogum and you'll find the third is at the bottom of this post (under the rest of the pictures)....

hey...you know who you are...we exchanged glances, (or was i suffering from heat stroke and imagining the whole thing??). you are the adorable indie-looking girl
approx 25-30. * this was either at the dodos, ra ra riot, steven malkmus, bss, the boardwalk, surf ave...

after i saw you i had to jump in the ocean to cool off, and i think i may have ingested discarded medical waste in the process, so don't you see...i am very deserving of your reply. [Craigslist] (via)

Islands and Ra Ra Riot have been added to the 2008 Village Voice Siren Festival - a free outdoor concert that takes place on two stages in Coney Island every year. This year's date is July 19th. Stephen Malkmus, Broken Social Scene and the rest of the lineup HERE.